How to Get Your Kids to Make Your Last-Minute Halloween Costume

We’re not all crafty people. We don’t all own glue guns or sewing machines and we don’t all know what decoupage is. Then again, some of us are/have/know all these things and just get busy or tired or lazy. Plus, we don’t want to drop forty bucks (or more!) on a store-bought Halloween costume. What do we do?

Now get out the finger paints, the markers–the glitter, if you dare. Slip a piece of cardboard (I use the lid from a paper box) inside the shirt so the paint won’t seep through to the back.

Set your kids loose on it. Whatever they want to do, short of cutting it to pieces. Slop the paint on, scribble with marker–whatever they’d do to a piece of construction paper, let them do to the shirt.

While that’s drying, get out the face paint/Halloween makeup/everyday makeup/whatever you have. You can even let them draw on you with markers (if they’re nontoxic…).

Yeah, I said “draw on you.” The next step is to relinquish control, close your eyes, and let the kids continue their art project on your face and neck, even your arms if you live somewhere warm or will be indoors for trick or treating. Your kids are going to be in heaven. Just don’t let them use that $200 Chanel lipstick you save for special occasions. (Is there such a thing as $200 Chanel lipstick? I max out at about fifteen bucks.)

Step three is completely optional but I have to say, it makes the whole look come together and reduces the number of times you’ll be explaining your costume to strangers. You could craft a picture frame out of cardboard, but I recommend popping the picture out of a real frame and using that: much easier.

So. This:

Plus this:

And you’re a work of art!

Bonus: If you used washable paints and you’re really, really lucky, the paint will wash off and you’ll have a perfectly good t-shirt again. Otherwise, you’ve got some really fun painting clothes for the next time you need to paint your house.